Boasting – at ten grams – more acidity than either Eiswein in his collection, Richter’s 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Trockenbeerenauslese offers a heady, high-toned aromatic display of mango, sultana, brown spices, apple jack, vanilla, bread, and truffle. Viscous and buttery in texture yet shot-through with bright, fresh citrus and almost weightlessly buoyant, this parades its exotic and gaudy – but somehow not quite excessive – array of super-ripe and borderline-volatile elements (joined by glazed pineapple and white raisin) in a penetratingly persistent finish poised between soothing and invigorating. It ought to be well worth following for at least three decades, and represents a memorable exception to the trend among wines of its vintage to often disappoint just a bit at the apex of Oechsle. The two Richter T.B.A.s of this vintage each amount to around 100 liters from berries separated out in the course of the corresponding Auslese harvests. While yields were down significantly in Muhlheim and Brauneberg – particularly due to peronospora – and sorting almost universally required, Dirk Richter reports that his overall 2009 crop was above- average volume, though he acknowledges that due to the need for relatively intensive spraying against fungal pests, both its ripening and the evolution of the resulting wines were retarded. Kabinetts were not picked until the last days of October; acid levels of most wines are well above vintage average; there was little Auslese; and some wines (Kabinetts, as it happens!) had not yet bottled when I visited in September. Richer – whose Rieslings from top sites continue to be bargain-priced – has just taken over a section of Erdener Treppchen that is in the family of his cellarmaster, who has no heirs. While there were still stocks of some 2008 vintage Rieslings available when I visited in September, the 2009 Richter Pinot Blanc had already been sold out without remainder, so I did not get chance to taste that of-late often promising bottling. Importer: Langdon-Shiverick Cleveland, OH; tel. (216) 861-6800